NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell talks growth opportunities, possible international expansion
NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell talks growth opportunities, possible international expansion. O’Donnell also said that NASCAR is considering international expansion. watch nowVIDEO19:5719:57CNBC Sport: NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell on global growth and Tom CruiseCNBC SportNASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell said the company has seen "a lot of momentum" after a challenging few years, touting NASCAR's presence on multiple streaming platforms and the recently announced sequel to "Days of Thunder" as opportunities to raise the company's profile.
What happened
Skip NavigationMarketsBusinessInvestingTechPolitics & PolicyVideoWatchlistInvesting ClubPROLivestreamMenuKey PointsNASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell told CNBC that the company's current momentum sets up the racing league for future growth. And while NASCAR seeks to grow its reach domestically, O'Donnell said that he is "absolutely" open to international expansion. CEO Steve O’Donnell said NASCAR's media strategy and the upcoming film "Days of Thunder 2" will help raise brand awareness and broaden its fan base. 1 message to us: He's like, 'You got to be ready because I'm going to put people [on], and they're going to know what NASCAR'S about. '"NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell during the Power Players New York event, Sept.
O'Donnell said Cruise recently visited NASCAR headquarters in Daytona Beach, Florida, and believes that the sequel will bring new audiences to the league. O'Donnell said that brand awareness must be established internationally before plans for future race locations can be solidified. He said that NASCAR's various media partnerships, which went into effect last year, and the upcoming Paramount film "Days of Thunder 2" will help the company raise brand awareness and broaden its fan base.
The wider picture
NASCAR content is available through streaming, cable and digital platforms across Fox, Comcast's NBC, Versant's USA Network, Warner Bros. When asked whether the patchwork nature of exclusive streaming rights to races would confuse viewers, O'Donnell said the breadth was actually a benefit. "For us [it's] how many front doors can we give to a fan to come through and experience NASCAR, and we used to just be maybe on one or two networks," he said.
" The release of "Days of Thunder 2," the sequel to the 1990 hit, will be another way to reach new fans, O'Donnell said. Tom Cruise will be reprising his role as Cole Trickle, a NASCAR driver, with Anne Hathaway set to co-star. "He could not have been more enthusiastic," O'Donnell told CNBC. S. and Mexico but is weighing options for additional international locations. "I don't want to just export a race and plop it somewhere," O'Donnell said.
What has been reported
"We want to build the culture so that when you go to a race, if we're in Europe, you know, hey, that's the NASCAR experience. "O'Donnell was named CEO in April, replacing Jim France and becoming the league's first CEO outside the founding family. AI | The progressive senator Bernie Sanders and rightwing strategist Steve Bannon have called for restrictions on artificial intelligence (AI) but offered competing visions for what they termed a “cold war” with China.
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Anthropic is launching its initial public offering later this year, so it has an interest in presenting its products in as epochal and deadly a fashion as possible. The auto racing company CEO, in an interview with CNBC's Brian Sullivan, credited the company's growing popularity among a younger audience, in part, to its ability to connect with fans online.
What happens next
"The media partners are just the foundation of the sport [that] help us grow," he told CNBC. Discovery's TNT Sports and Amazon Prime Video, thanks to seven-year media rights agreements — worth an estimated $7. "And as you look at where media is going long-term, we realized to get younger we needed to try some different things, go where some of the younger fans are maybe watching or just tuning in for a couple minutes. The Paramount film is slated to premiere in summer 2028, Cruise announced on social media.
Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesGlobal racing league Formula 1 has notched success in recent years garnering new fans via streaming and film, including Netflix's "Drive to Survive" docuseries and Apple's "F1" movie, which premiered in 2025. The Brad Pitt blockbuster became Apple's highest-grossing film. Similarly, "Ford v Ferrari," a biopic about a legendary team of British and American race-car drivers, became one of the highest-grossing original movies of 2019.
The report has been compiled by The Daily Waves using information reported across cnbc.com, theguardian.com. Details are presented according to the information available at the time of publication and may change as authorities, organisers or other relevant parties provide updates.